Innova Foster is a European project aimed at helping startups grow by engaging them in the innovation processes at local or regional level and improving their role as industry innovation providers in seven European regions. The project seeks to identify and share examples, ideas and solutions, tailoring them to regional and local needs based on strengths. In addition, it also seeks to implement action plans and improve regional policies, as well as serve as documented cases for analysis to other European regions and cities.
The project will integrate interregional visits, engagement of local stakeholders and joint research to improve regional and local policies and programmes that support the growth of high-potential SMEs to make them ramp-up, grow and get global.
All project partners will identify, analyse and exchange knowledge about the best and worst practices in regional situations of startups and innovation ecosystems before eventually coming up with their own policy-mix on an inward-looking process and benchmarking. The action plans will be implemented as demonstrators, de-risking the development and scale-up of novel service systems, encouraging engagement with stakeholders and users, sharing experience across Europe and identifying clusters of expertise and opportunities for partnership.
The project, which has a total budget of EUR 1.3 million, started on January 1, 2017 and runs until December 31, 2020.
Through this project, Malta Enterprise - which is the partner representing Malta in the project - will try to enhance further development of already established SMEs, both in terms of infrastructure and financial incentives, complementing existing measures. It is joined by six other partners, namely:
- INCYDE Foundation (Spain, lead partner);
- Torun regional Development Agency (Poland);
- Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (UK);
- Scientific Research Centre Bistra Ptuj (Slovenia);
- Cork City Council (Ireland); and
- Tartu City Government (Estonia).
For more information visit www.interregeurope.eu/innovafoster.